Harvard MBA and A Fishing Guide named Joe

I found this story in a book called Creating a Good Life by James O'Toole, which I found to contain alot of meaning and to be highly insightful. Still half-way reading it as I have been swarmed with school work since the start of the year.

Read this and reflect on it....

A Harvard MBA took a vacation to a sunny clime,
Where he hired a fishing guide named Joe to help him land a Marlin.
Joe was in his forties and lived in a modest house by the seashore, with his wife and two children.
Every day, Joe rose when the sun was warm and took a swim in the ocean with his family.
Three days a week, He escorted clients out to sea in his boat, and they would fish until they hooked the big one.
The four mornings when he chose not to work, Joe would sit in his hammock and read from breakfast until it was time for mid-day lunch with his wife.
Almost every afternoon, He picked up his kids up after school and took them on "an adventure" or to his workshop for handicrafts.
After a long dinner, en famille, Joe and his wife would walk to a nearby cafe where the locals gathered to discuss issues facing their community.


As the vacationing MBA immediately appreciated, Joe's fishing expeditions were first-rate:
Joe was a skilled guide, knowledgable not only about anglers' tackle but also marine biology, oceanography, meteorology, and other subjects about which vacationers were curious.

The MBA saw the potential for a big, profitable enterprise. He explained to Joe that it would be easy to put together a group of venture capitalists to "Build your underperforming business".

Instead of inefficiently taking one client out at a time, Joe could have a fleet of high-tech fishing boats, each accomodating a dozen or more clients. With a little strategic advice, he could branch out into related businesses, perhaps build a high-rise hotel on the beach.

Most important, Joe could go on TV and become the marketing face for his business, creating a brand that could be franchised at other sleepy fishing communities:

"A Guy like you could become a CELEBRITY"

The MBA then delivered the clincher: "When that happens, We have an IPO and you get RICH!"

After listening patiently, Joe asked, "And What Then?"

The MBA quickly answered: "Well, you retire to some nice place on the beach, do a little fishing and reading, and get to spend some time with your wife and kids....."

Great irony yeah....